Recovery & Sprint Triathlon Races
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There have been several of you that have had questions on recovery following a sprint distance triathlon. To be honest, recovery is not an exact science and there is not a means of recovery that will suit every person. It really depends on your overall fitness level and on how hard your base training was. If you you're brand new to the sport and don't incur any kind of injury during the race, there is nothing to stop you from resuming training as soon as your body tells you to. Listen to your body. Some will say to resume the next day, some will say take a few days to a week off, but after all the advice is vetted out, your body is the best indicator. As you progress in your training, you will recover faster after each event. If your max training days are less hard than your sprint you are going to need a couple or three of days. If your max training days are much harder than your sprint race, one day off should be enough.
My suggestion to speed recovery time is to first hydrate, take in proper nutrition following your race, and to stretch those tight muscles immediately following a race. Chocolate milk is a great inexpensive recovery drink to help speed the recovery time.
Also, you can and should use training as a means of recovery. Many people refer to this as an active recovery. What I mean by active recovery is if your race is on a Sunday it would be perfectly fine to do an easy swim or 100 rpm ride to flush out the lactic acid out of the legs on Monday. Yoga (if you have done yoga before) or a fast walk is also great way to get the heart rate up without putting lots of stress on the body.
Keep it simple and listen to your body is the best advice.
For more advice or personal coaching needs please feel free to contact me at tripp@endure3sports.com. By Tripp Norton, USAT Certified Coach, Owner of Endure 3 Sports, www.endure3sports.com.
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